Free HD for life (24 months for existing subs)

You have 1 piece of inromation and you stated "facts" and now you're saying you're posting assumptions. You're claiming that based on what you have received you know what the parameters are for everyone. So please share what the formula is as I'm sure everyone here would like to know. I know you can't so don't bother the point is that assuming that others can get something and telling them they can is not helping them because if it's not true they just get more upset. Every account is different and will be handled as such.

I can understand wanting to "help" out people but there are good ways to do it and not good ways. Posting absolutes when dealing with DIRECTV is a quick way to get proven wrong.

 

I agree completely. My email on June 15 says "You will be receiving free HD for 24 months". That's pretty hard to misconstrue.

 

Well, in all fairness, it didn't say when you would be receiving free hd for 24 months. Could be next year or 20 years from now. :lol:

This recent fiasco, as well as them changing my current package (and raising my monthly price by $16 as well as the $10 HD access fee) made me drop them and have Comcast installed. Don't really notice much of a difference other than the user guide is a bit dated and not as flashy as Directv, but the HD I'm getting is the same or close to what I was getting with Directv. I know each area is different when it comes to cable, but so far I'm happy. And it's about $64 per month less than Directv.

Canceled this morning. Was like a divorce. Been with them since 1998. When I had problems or issues, they didn't want to know me. As soon as I said "cancel" the deals and pleading to stay starting flowing. They should have done that before I had cable installed.

 

I would almost say that some quirk triggered the "not on AutoPay" notifications. When that was corrected, the system believed that you were newly added to the Free HD program which triggered the postcard and email.

- Merg

 

The system has a rule to send qualifications of the free HD promotion when something changed that could impact it. Such as updating billing information, removing auto bill pay, setting up intigrated billing, changing a package.

The reminder states that if you have the requirements you will get the free hd for 24 months. It doesn't state that you will get it from the date of the card going forward just that you will recieve a discount for a total of 24 months by meeting the requirements. Failing to meet the requirements will not result in 24 seperate credits.

Obviously something happened at the end of the promotion to a group of customers that the system triggered something incorrectly and confusion ensued. Similiar to when it rolled to the 13th month and some people (mainly the early adpoters who got it the first month) missed their 13th credit. This was the first promotion of this kind where it spanned multiple years and had multiple requirements. Clearly things happened which were unexpected and therefor resolved.

That promotion is gone and there are current promotions that are account based. Regardless of if you received a communication in error or not if you had called in you would have been offered what you're eligible for. If anyone has stated anything other than that then it's just to make you feel better. As clearly demonstrated in this thread there are people who don't care about what the real truth is they just want to have their version. So if you were told you automatically extended it was just done to placate you because it wasn't worth really trying to explain what happened because it would have been futile.

 

Except I got them in the reverse order. The Free HD notice came before the AutoPay notice. Then the bizarre phone conversations started.

All "explaining" aside, it was a massive screw up, that left a lot of customers with a bad taste in their mouth, as it should have. Very poorly handled by D*. I have now taken to warning any people I refer (and I don't take any referral money, never have) that communications screw ups are common and have not improved over time, so document all your calls and get anything you can in writing. So far, my referrals have not bitten me, but I'm being much more careful now than I used to be.

D* has become utterly undependable (in terms of communication). I no longer trust anything any of their people say, other than Retention. I am not asserting that I have been lied to, as I don't believe that at all. The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing and supervisors cannot be relied upon. (they contradict each other).

The only people I've gotten a straight story from are in Retention. Sad, but true, and sooner or later, that avenue will get closed off when it becomes apparent that they are being called not because anyone really wants to cancel, but just to get someone competent without playing CSR/Supervisor roulette. It's downright embarassing.

 

I got the first card telling me about the hd requirements in March. I got the email shortly afterwards. I contacted Ellen Filipiak's office soon after that. They knew about the issue with both the emails and cards and chose to do nothing to stop them. They even sent an additional one of each to me in June. How can you defend what is clearly bonehead behavior?

 

Totally agree.

As I said before, when I call to "cancel" it will be because I'm really cancelling.

If a long time customer with high monthly payments has to jump through hoops just to get what you're told you're going to get, there are serious problems with that.

All DTV reps I spoke with were always courteous and nice, but in most cases were clueless.

That's gotta change if they want to keep me as a customer.

At this point, after MLB EI concludes, I will be looking at other providers.

I just hope their reps are more competent.

I know, I'm a dreamer..........

Also, as hasan said, get everything in writing, as it will help avoid confusion down the road. And if they refuse to put it in writing, then they can keep it.

 

I'm confident that the reality is that DIRECTV does make different discounts/promotions to different customers based on their account status and history.

While some might agree and others might disagree as to whether this is an appropriate way to deal with its customers, what is clear to me is that, from a public relations point of view, DIRECTV has made an unwise decision to include free HD access as one of the items for which different customers are treated differently. If DIRECTV gives some customers, based on their account histories, a $10 general programming discount or reduced-cost Showtime, or 3 months of free Starz, etc, most customers won't even be aware that some others are getting discounts, and there is unlikely to be significant backlash from customers who are not getting the discounts. With HD access, however, since it a service that is a) used by a very large portion of DIRECTV customers, b) offered at no cost by (many) other providers, and c) offered free for life to new DIRECTV customers, it becomes a service offering that is likely to cause severe PR backlash from those who are not able to get it at no charge. And, not only does it cause resentment from those who are not able to get free HD, but discussions like this one also bring to light all of the other discounts that some customers are receiving, which causes further anger from those who are not getting discounts.

Further, even those who are able to finally get the free HD credits by making multiple calls, talking to multiple CSRs or departments, etc., are likely to retain continuing bad feelings toward DIRECTV just because of the time that they spent and the hoops through which they had to jump just to get a discount similar to what they know others received.

Thus, even if DIRECTV feels that it is in their interests to continue to offer various discounts to some customers based on their account status/history, I think it would be a wise decision from a customer relations point of view not to include free HD in the array of discounts that are offered only to some customers. Either charge everyone, or charge no one, even if that means hiding a charge by rolling HD charges into the base package price.

 

I did none of these....and last call was early this year for a HR34, with no other changes to account.

Then I get the Free HD Access email June 15th, and a postcard about July 3rd. As I stated like 10 pages ago, receiving these notifications at the start of the promotion is one thing, and receiving them two years later......on the eve of expiration........is another thing.

Couple that with the sentence "To continue to receive FREE HD Access, etc., etc., etc........", one should not convict a consumer for thinking they can still receive it as long as the three conditions are met. This should be no surprise.

As it stands, a certain CSR (not all) "CAN" continue the same promotion for two more years, as the new line item on my recent activity matches the same line item for the last two years. I am pleased my particular CSR I spoke with continued the tradition, or I may have considered dropping autopay.

I appreciate your explanations Shades, and I know sometimes you are between a rock and a hard place on topics like these, but I am also very understanding on what its like dealing with the general public on a daily basis.

 

+1
Each acount is supposed to be handled diferently...but as I have stated many, many times before some CSR's will do whatever to get someone off the phone

 

One quick call and mine has been reinstated for 12 months.

 

I got the same card. Checked my account and saw the HD discount of $10 a month. Also saw that they will give me an HD DVR for free, a $199 discount. Of course I know that would trigger a new 2 year contract. I'm pass my old contract by about a year and I don't need another DVR.

 

Just had to call because my latest statement dropped the credit. After much arguing, and ending up with retention, I have the credit for another 24 months. Hopefully by the end of this term they won't charge an HD access fee.

BTW, they claim the postcard was simply a reminder to keep auto pay/paperless for the credit, not anything about an extension. I'm quite sure the card I received talked about extending for 24 months, but I tossed the card. Anybody have it to confirm?

 

Just got my bill. They dropped the HD and I also lost my $10 credit for a new customer (10 months were up). Have been a looong time customer, got the post card a while back and, after reading this thread, am hesitant to call and ask for the HD extension. $20 hit really hurts as am on a fixed income (and yes I knew that they would run out). Don't know quite what to do to reduce my costs.

 

Nothing ventured nothing gained. I would call and at least ask for the credit back. I received $25 credit for 1 year and didn't ask for it on top of the $10.00 HD Credit.

 

Call back, tell them you're looking for some help on your bill - you're on a fixed income, and see what they offer. Just be pleasant, if you're a long time customer I would think they will do something for you. Good luck.

 

Has anyone on an MDU account managed to successfully get the free HD discount?
I had tried when this started, but was denied though I satisfied all conditions of the original deal (the right plan, automatic billing, etc) but they claimed that their 'computers' didn't let this happen.

Anyway ... I'm just curious if anyone managed to actually get this.

 

After emailing DTV a few times, looks like I'll have to call them to apply the $10 credit. I got this response, I'd rather not sign up for a 2 yr contract just for a $10 monthly credit. There's no mention of this requirement in the email I got back in June.

edit:
copy/paste of part of the email for the free hd access. I had to point out the "To continue" part of the email to a CSR for her to look further into my issue, only to come back with a 2 yr agreement requirement.

edit2:
$15/month credit for 12 months, no service agreement requirement. Like others mentioned, the CSR (Promotions dept, the 1st line CSR is unable to apply the credit) told me the email was sent in error. I just told the CSR what was in the email. No yelling or anything on my part.

 

It may have taken longer than I would have liked but I did receive $10/month credit for 24 months. At first the offer was for 6 months, but after hesitating a bit it was changed to 24 months.

FYI
I have been a customer since 05 with the Premier package, 3 HD-DVRs, and a HD receiver. I very rarely call support, but usually I end up satisfied with the results even if it takes a little bit of time.